LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego men's basketball wraps up a brief two-game road trip on Thursday when the Tritons visit first place UC Irvine for a 7 p.m. tip. UC San Diego will be searching for its first win over the Anteaters since beginning the transition to Division I in 2020-21.
 
The Tritons will be back home Saturday to face UC Santa Barbara at 7. The Gauchos handed the Tritons their largest Big West setback of the season on Dec. 31 when UC San Diego had just eight players available.
 
DETAILS
Game 29
UC San Diego (9-19, 4-12 Big West) at UC Irvine (20-8, 13-3 Big West)
Thursday, February 23
7 p.m. PST
Bren Events Center (5,000) | Irvine
TV: ESPN+
Radio: None
Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats
Series Record: UC Irvine leads, 12-1 (UCI 5-0 in Division I)
Last Meeting: UC Irvine 76, at UC San Diego 60 (Feb. 2)

Game 30
UC San Diego (9-19, 4-12 Big West) vs. UC Santa Barbara (20-7, 11-5 Big West)
Saturday, February 25
7 p.m. PST
LionTree Arena (4,000) | La Jolla
TV: ESPN+
Radio: KSDT
Watch on ESPN+ | Listen on KSDT | Live Stats
Series Record: UC Santa Barbara leads, 4-1 (all Division I)
Last Meeting: UC Santa Barbara 82, UC San Diego 61 (Dec. 31)

ABOUT THE TRITONS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 9-19
Big West: 4-13
Home: 4-9
Away: 5-9
Neutral: 0-1
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: L1

TRITONS, STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

Stat	UCSD	Opp.
Points	67.4	71.8
Field Goal Pct.	.426	.442
3-Point FG Pct.	.320	.361
Free Throw Pct.	.733	.717
Rebounds	33.7	36.9
Assists	11.8	14.6
Turnovers	12.1	11.6
Steals	5.9	5.9
Blocks	2.3	3.2

ABOUT THE ANTEATERS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 20-8
Big West: 13-3
Home:10-3
Away: 8-5
Neutral: 2-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 1-1
Streak: W5

ABOUT THE GAUCHOS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 20-7
Big West: 11-5
Home:10-3
Away: 8-4
Neutral: 2-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: L3

WHAT'S NEXT
UC San Diego wraps up its 2022-23 season with a pair of games next week. On Thursday, the Tritons will host Cal Poly on Senior Night (7 p.m.). Tickets are available through the Triton Box Office. Saturday, the Tritons conclude their season at Cal State Fullerton (6 p.m.). Both games are available to stream on ESPN+.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC San Diego freshman point guard Roddie Anderson III scored a game-high 24 points, but the Tritons fell to host UC Davis by a 76-66 score on Monday afternoon inside University Credit Union Center.
 
The Tritons dropped to 9-19 overall and 4-12 in The Big West. The Aggies (16-12, 9-7 Big West) swept the season series from UC San Diego with Monday's win.
 
KEEPING IT CLOSE
UC San Diego is 7-9 so far this season in games decided by fewer than ten points. 11 of the Tritons' first 16 Big West games have been single digit outcomes, with UC San Diego posting a 3-8 mark in those contests.
 
FOUR TRITONS EARN ACADEMIC RECOGNITION
A quartet of Tritons earned accolades for their hard work both in the classroom and on the court on Tuesday. Seniors Jake Kosakowski and Jace Roquemore, junior Vuk Vulikic, and sophomore Justin DeGraaf were all named to the Academic All-District Team as announced by College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA). All four will now move on to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot.
 
MAKING THE GRADE
UC San Diego basketball continues to excel in the classroom. As a team, the Tritons posted a 3.23 grade point average in the recently completed fall quarter. Four Tritons posted a term GPA of 3.5 or better: J'Raan Brooks, Justin DeGraaf, Jake Kosakowski, and Vuk Vulikic.
 
MILESTONE WATCH: BRYCE POPE
Bryce Pope's 31-point game in the win at George Washington (Nov. 22) was the second-most in a single game scored by a Triton during the program's Division I era. He currently ranks second in The Big West in scoring with 18.4 points per game. Pope enters Thursday night's game needing just 18 points to become the 14th Triton in program history to score 1,000 career points.
 
UC San Diego All-Time Scoring Leaders

Name	Years	Games Played	Points
Paul Trainer	1971-75	104	1,930
Matt Aune	1993-97	100	1,780
Mike Wall	1995-99	100	1,700
Greg Kaminsky	1983-87	104	1,588
Tim Rapp	1987-91	75	1,556
Adam Klie	2013-17	118	1,524
Christian Oshita	2016-20	100	1,505
Chris Hansen	2015-20	113	1,418
Rick Batt	1988-92	106	1,410
Jordan Lawley	2006-10	110	1,398
James McCann	2010-14	107	1,339
Drew Dyer	2012-16	108	1,333
Clint Allard	2004-08	112	1,150
Bryce Pope	2020-pr.	70	982

 
UC San Diego 30-Point Games, Division I

Name	Date	Opponent	Points	Game Score
Toni Rocak	Dec. 30, 2021	vs. UC Santa Barbara	34	W, 85-83 (OT)
Bryce Pope	Nov. 22, 2022	at George Washington	31	W, 75-70

 
FRANCIS GETS REWARDED
Sophomore forward Francis Nwaokorie had a standout performance Feb. 9 at Hawai'i. He scored 25 points – one shy of his personal best– on 9-13 shooting (including 3-for-5 from beyond the arc). The nine made field goals are a new career high. He pulled down five rebounds and blocked a shot while committing just one turnover. On Feb. 13, he was named UCU Athlete of the Week for the second time this season (Dec. 19).
 
ONE FOR THE AGES
UC San Diego's triple overtime marathon game against Long Beach State (Jan. 21) will be remembered for a long time. In that game…

• Two Tritons scored a career high points (Anderson, 28 and Nwaokorie 26)
• Five Tritons logged a career high in minutes, including Pope who played 51
• The 112 points allowed, and 110 points scored are both Division I highs for the program
• The game featured 20 ties and 17 lead changes
• UC San Diego had a season-high 21 assists while committing just 11 turnovers
• The Tritons blocked a season-high seven shots

 
OLEN SETS PROGRAM'S WINS RECORD
When UC San Diego won at Cal Poly (Jan. 19), the victory marked the 186th in the career of Triton head coach Eric Olen – making him the all-time wins leader in UC San Diego men's basketball history. Marshall won 185 games as Triton head coach from 1983-1994 when UC San Diego competed in Division III.
 
DOING THE SPLITS
The Big West schedule format is challenging in 2022-23. UC San Diego's conference-issued slate features five split weeks where the Tritons will play one home game and one road game two days apart. By contrast, UC San Diego had only three weeks on the docket where both games were in La Jolla or on the road.
 
ANOTHER OT WINNER!
 Bryce Pope scored a game-high 25 points and drained the game-winning jump shot with 1.3 seconds to play, lifting UC San Diego to an 85-83 overtime victory over Long Beach State at Walter Pyramid in The Big West opener for both sides (Dec. 29).
 
UC San Diego is 3-2 all-time against Big West foes in overtime contests, with one victory in each of the last three seasons.
 
DIVINE INTERVENTION?
Bryce Pope's game-winning shot in OT at Long Beach (Dec. 29) wasn't the first time he's come up big down the stretch. In UC San Diego's victory over Cal (Nov. 15), Pope sank a contested three-pointer with just 10.9 seconds to play, lifting the Tritons to a 64-62 win. Last season at CSU Bakersfield, Pope hit the game winning jumper in the paint with 1.4 seconds on the clock (March 3, 2022).
 
THIRD TIME'S A CHARM?
UC San Diego is in its third season in The Big West and the Tritons are looking to complete a full 20-game conference slate for the first time after COVID-related cancelations in each of the last two seasons.
 
Now in year three of its four-year NCAA reclassification to Division I, UC San Diego is being included in The Big West standings for the first time. The conference elected to exclude the Tritons from the standings and conference statistics in each of the last two seasons.
 
TRITONS VS. THE BIG WEST
Here's a look at how UC San Diego has stacked up against conference competition since joining The Big West beginning in the 2020-21 season:
 

Opponent	Home	Road	Neutral	Total	Streak
Cal Poly	0-1	1-1	0-0	1-2	W1
CSU Bakersfield	1-1	1-3	0-0	2-4	L2
Cal State Fullerton	3-1	0-1	0-0	3-2	L1
CSUN	2-0	2-0	0-0	4-0	W4
Hawai'i	0-2	0-2	0-0	0-4	L4
Long Beach State	0-2	1-1	0-0	1-3	L1
UC Davis	1-2	0-2	0-0	1-4	L4
UC Irvine	0-3	0-2	0-0	0-5	L5
UC Riverside	2-2	0-3	0-0	2-5	L2
UC Santa Barbara	1-0	0-4	0-0	1-4	L2

 
TSHIMANGA TAKES HOME UCU ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONORS | JAN. 2
UC San Diego center Emmanuel Tshimanga helped lead the Tritons to a road split, winning at 21-22 regular season champ Long Beach and falling to Santa Barbara, currently atop The Big West standings. Tshimanga averaged 15 points and 7 rebounds in the two road contests. The first-year Triton hit 10-of-17 field goal tries (58.8%) and was 10-for-15 from the free throw line.
 
WE'LL TAKE THAT!
UC San Diego came away with a season-high 12 steals at San Diego State (Dec. 20). Redshirt juniors Bryce Pope and Jace Roquemore each notched a career-high five thefts against the Aztecs.
 
POPE NAMED UCU ATHLETE OF THE WEEK TWICE (NOV. 28, DEC. 26)
Redshirt junior guard Bryce Pope has twice been named UCU Athlete of the Week, garnering recognition Nov. 28 after leading the Tritons to wins at George Washington and Eastern Michigan. Pope earned the honor for a second time on Dec. 26 after scoring a game-high 20 and coming away with five steals at San Diego State.
 
BRYCE IS A STAR!
UC San Diego redshirt junior guard Bryce Pope was recognized by the San Diego Sports Association as a Star of the Month for November. Pope averaged 19.3 points per game over seven November games. Pope drained 18 three-pointers in the month and shot 79.2% (19-24) at the free throw line while posting a 2.00 assist-to-turnover ratio. In the Tritons' win at George Washington, Pope connected on 11-of-16 field goal tries, scoring a career-high 31 points. It was the second-ever 30-plus point effort by a Triton in UC San Diego's Division I era.
 
BROOKS COMES UP BIG
Senior forward J'Raan Brooks scored 16 points and corralled 13 rebounds – both career highs – in UC San Diego's win over Bethesda (Dec. 2). His seven field goals and two steals that night were also new personal bests. He was named UCU Athlete of the Week on Dec. 5.
 
TSHIMANGA POSTS UP
Junior transfer Emmanuel Tshimanga pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds, blocked a pair of shots, and scored six points over 21 minutes in the Tritons' win at Eastern Michigan (Nov. 27).
 
TIME TRAVEL
The Nov. 18 game at Navy marked UC San Diego's first in the Eastern time zone since the then-Division II Tritons played an exhibition game at Pittsburgh in October 2013. That game marked Eric Olen's first as Tritons' head coach. This year's schedule features games in five states plus Washington, D.C.
 
PRODUCTION OFF THE BENCH
In UC San Diego's season opener vs. Seattle U (Nov. 7), the Tritons received a combined 25 points off the bench from a pair of newcomers: freshman point guard Roddie Anderson III scored 10 while adding six rebounds and five assists in his first collegiate game. Playing his first game as a Triton, junior center Emmanuel Tshimanga added 15 points and a pair of blocked shots over 15 minutes.
 
A BIG WELCOME TO NWAOKORIE
Sophomore forward Francis Nwaokorie was a finalist for the Kyle Macy Award in 2022, given to the nation's top Division I freshman. In his first season at UC San Diego, Nwaokorie made quite an impact. He started 24 games, averaging 11.8 points and 5.8 boards per contest. In a win over then-first place Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 26, he scored a career-high 23 points while grabbing nine rebounds.

Nwaokorie was named to the Zootown Classic All-Tournament Team and at season's end, he was named the top freshman in the Big West by the web site hoopshd.com.
 
HEAD COACH ERIC OLEN
In his tenth season as head coach, Eric Olen has transformed the program. In the team's second Division I season, the Tritons strung together 13 victories, including a season-opening win at Cal – UC San Diego's first triumph over a Pac-12 opponent.

In Division II, Olen led the Tritons to three California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular season titles, four consecutive CCAA tournament crowns over seven seasons. In Division II, he posted a .740 winning percentage, and he was named NABC West Region Coach of the Year for the first time in 2019-20 after leading the Tritons to a 30-1 record and the top seed in the NCAA West Region.
 
Olen's career coaching record stands at 188-101 (.651). With the win at Cal Poly (Jan. 19), he passed Tom Marshall as the program's all-time wins leader.
 
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Returners
J'Raan Brooks, Sr., F
Fallou Cisse, R-Fr., F
Justin DeGraaf, So., F
Jake Kosakowski, Jr., F
Francis Nwaokorie, So., F
Michael Pearson Jr., So., G
Bryce Pope, Jr., G
Jace Roquemore, Jr., G
Vuk Vulikic, Jr., G
 
Newcomers
Roddie Anderson III, Fr., G
Camden McCormick, Fr., G
Quin Patterson, Fr., G/F
Cade Pendleton, Fr., F
Emmanuel Tshimanga, Jr., C (UC Irvine)
 
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
This year's Tritons squad boasts scholar-athletes from three foreign countries:
 
Fallou Cisse, Senegal
Emmanuel Tshimanga, Canada
Vuk Vulikic, Serbia
 
SEVEN NAMED TO NABC HONORS COURT FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Seven UC San Diego men's basketball scholar-athletes were named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court for excelling in the classroom. J'Raan Brooks, Matt Gray, Jake Killingsworth, Jake Kosakowski, Justin Pratt, Jace Roquemore and Lunden Taylor represent the Tritons on this year's Honors Court. UC San Diego is also a recipient of the 2021-22 NABC Team Academic Excellence Award.
 
The NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards recognize men's basketball programs that completed the 2021-22 academic year with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher. The NABC Honors Court, meanwhile, includes junior, senior and graduate student men's basketball players who finished the 2021-22 year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.
 
OUR HOME HAS A NEW NAME!
UC San Diego's basketball home has been named LionTree Arena in recognition of a $5 million gift for scholar-athletes from LionTree, an independent investment and merchant bank with expertise in technology, media and the digital economy. LionTree was founded by UC San Diego alumnus Aryeh B. Bourkoff, who also serves as the firm's CEO. LionTree's gift is the largest ever received by UC San Diego Athletics, establishing the LionTree Endowed Scholarship Fund to support scholar-athletes. The gift total contributed to the Campaign for UC San Diego, which concluded on June 30, 2022. Bourkoff also served as co-chair of the Campaign for UC San Diego Cabinet.
 
DIVISION I FIRSTS

First Season	2020-21
First Game	Dec. 22, 2020 vs. Saint Katherine
First Win over Division I Opponent	Jan. 22, 2021 vs. UC Davis
First Basket vs. D1 Opponent	Jace Roquemore (1/8/21) vs. UC Irvine
First Division I Road Win	Nov. 9, 2021 at Cal
First Big West Road Win	Feb. 3, 2022 at CSUN

 
WHY THE TRITONS?
The Triton is described as the offspring of Poseidon and Amphitrite, a demigod of the sea with a lower part of the body like that of a fish. It is known as a mighty and fierce sea warrior. Given UC San Diego's close proximity to the Pacific Ocean and its connections with the world-famous Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Triton became our mascot in 1964.
 
TRITON BOX OFFICE
Single game tickets to UC San Diego basketball home games are now on-sale. For more information or to purchase, click here. Currently enrolled UC San Diego students are provided free admission by showing a valid campus ID at the arena entrance.

GAME DAY HAS A NEW LOOK
Triton fans now have a whole new way to access game day information, as game programs have gone digital! Fans can visit UCSDTritons.com/MBBgameday from their smart phone or scan the QR code at the entrance to LionTree Arena for everything they need to know about each home game, including updated rosters, schedules, and stats for each team, as well as links to watch on ESPN+.

COVERING THE TRITONS
Media members wishing to cover a UC San Diego game in-person at LionTree Arena must notify a member of the Athletics Communications staff no later than 24 hours prior to the game.

Following the conclusion of each home game, a video highlight melt and video postgame interviews will be made available for media members to download.
 
ON THE MOVE
After 20 seasons playing as an NCAA Division II team, the entire athletics program is in its third year of a four-year transition to NCAA Division I, culminating in full DI status as a member of The Big West for the 2024-25 academic year. At that time, all sports will be eligible for conference and NCAA postseason play.
 
UC SAN DIEGO ON THE WORLDWIDE LEADER
Most UC San Diego home men's and women's basketball games, men's and women's soccer matches, men's and women's volleyball matches, baseball and softball games are broadcast live on ESPN+. For more information on where to watch UC San Diego basketball, visit UCSDTritons.com/live.
 
HOOPS TALK ON UC SAN DIEGO ATHLETICS' PODCAST
As part of UC San Diego's transition to Division I, the Athletics Department launched a weekly podcast, Tritoncast. Produced by UC San Diego Athletics Communications, Tritoncast features in-depth interviews with UC San Diego personalities including scholar-athletes, alums, coaches, and administrators. Triton fans will get an inside look at the UC San Diego Athletics Department as the program transitions to NCAA Division I and The Big West. New episodes of Tritoncast are available each week on the most popular podcasting apps. In addition, each episode can be heard and downloaded on UCSDTritons.com. For individual show information and listen links, follow Tritoncast on Twitter @Tritoncast.
 
MEN'S BASKETBALL ON TRITONCAST

Episode	Published	Guest(s)	Listen Link
08	8/19/20	Adam Klie '17, program's D2 leading scorer	Listen
13	9/23/20	John Saintignon, impact of John Wooden	Listen
23	12/02/20	Jordan Lawley '10, NBA training center	Listen
30	1/20/21	Gabe Hadley '21, pro in Australia	Listen
67	11/02/22	Head Coach Eric Olen, season preview	Listen
74	2/22/23	Emmanuel Tshimanga, Canada hoops	Listen

 
GET SOCIAL WITH UC SAN DIEGO HOOPS
Keep up with the Tritons all season long on social media through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The team's handle is @ucsdmbb.
 
FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UC San Diego home athletic events, and much more!

GEAR
For the latest Triton apparel and accessories, click here.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.